


Tell Me Whose Side You're On

by The Dog and the Rabbit (dreams_and_other_stuff)



Series: Not Evil To The Core [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, idk im bad at tagging, josh gets beat up though so violence at the start, josh learns that blurrys actually not as much of an asshole as he might have previously expected, tyler and blurry both suck under pressure, you guys wanted more so this is a series now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-03 15:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5296292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreams_and_other_stuff/pseuds/The%20Dog%20and%20the%20Rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh was on his way to one of his usual run-downs with his arch-enemy Blurryface, when he has a not so usual run-down with his arch-enemy Blurryface</p>
<p>or the one where Blurry can't read minds</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Quiet Kind Of Litany

They’ve been tailing him for fifteen minutes now, Josh thinks as he crosses the street halfway onto the sidewalk. There’s three of them, Caucasian males, strong builds, possibly concealing weapons. He wonders how much they know. He figures he has to deal with this now if he’s going to make it in time to confront Blurry about those stolen jewels later that evening. The very polite note he left at the museum stressed that he absolutely should Not Be Late.

 

Asshole

 

He rounds the corner into an alley. If they know more than they should it would be smart to keep it private.

 

Their steps trail him, shadows looming. Josh doesn’t have to turn around before he hears the sound of a gun clicking.

 

“Hand over your wallet.” The one with the gun says.

 

Josh sighs and takes out his wallet, turning around to face them with both hands in the air. They’re just garden variety muggers. This was good, because he doesn’t have to worry about his secret identity having been leaked, but also bad because he can’t really do much except play the helpless victim and hope they leave him alone after taking his things. Fuck, he really thought he could make rent this week. Tyler’s gonna be so disappointed.

 

“Hey” one of them says, before punching him square in the gut. Josh feels all the air leave his lungs and heaves on the floor of the alley. “You listen to us when we’re talking to you” The man kicks him while he’s down, and not too gently either. Josh can feel adrenaline building, feels the thrum of energy under the pavement, but he wills it down before anything happens. He can’t use his powers out of costume, and he can’t fight and risk them learning about his enhanced strength. He absolutely can’t kill them no matter how good an idea that might feel at the moment. One of them extinguishes his cigarette on Josh’s arm and Josh can’t help yelling in pain. He really fucking hopes that doesn’t leave a mark or he might do something he’ll regret.

 

“You need to learn some manners, kid.” The one with the gun nods to the other two and one of them grabs Josh by the shoulders while the other one continues to use him as a punching bag. Josh is about 70% done with these people; they just do not know when enough is enough. He makes a mental note, between having the wind knocked out of him, to personally escort them to the police as soon as he can get into his gear. “Learn your lesson yet?” The one doing the punching asks, and Josh spits in his face, because honestly after having both your legs broken in the span of one night this is child’s play, he never really thought he’d end up feeling thankful to Blurry for that one but in all honesty it’s been a weird week.

 

The man looks fucking pissed and is about to punch him again, when he suddenly drops to the ground convulsing like he’s been electrocuted. Which he was. Josh follows a thin pair of wires to where a mysterious hooded figure is holding a stun gun by the entrance of the alley.

 

Speak of the fucking devil.

 

Blurry makes quick work of the man with the gun using moves straight out of an 80s spy film. Josh likens him to Black Widow for a brief moment before remembering that Black Widow was A.) An actual hero and B.) Not batshit fucking crazy. The guy holding him up takes a gun out of his jacket and cocks it at Josh’s head. “HANDS IN THE FUCKING AIR OR I’LL SHOOT” the man says.

 

Josh groans at the irony of the situation, his life is in the hands of fucking Blurryface. For all he knows Blurry will probably kill this guy and take his gun just to shoot him himself. He’d have acted by now but Blurry hasn’t really killed anyone yet, so in the off chance that he actually doesn’t know about his secret identity Josh would prefer that remain a secret.

 

Blurry is standing over the other thug, having kicked his gun away from his unconscious body. Josh swears the air feels tense. This is weird. He’s never seen Blurry look so indecisive before.

 

Blurry very slowly puts his hands up. Josh is extremely confused.

 

“This is your only chance to let him go” Blurry says, his voice almost shaky. Josh’s stomach is doing flips for whatever reason. Josh elbows the man at a perfectly safe human amount of force while he’s distracted and drops to the floor. Blurry sees the opening and shoots the man twice in the neck.

 

Josh panics and flips the guy over to find they had simply been darts, and the man was still very much alive. This isn’t doing much to make him any less confused than he had been to start with. He’s so weirded out he doesn’t even notice Blurry walking towards him (not that he’s ever been able to notice him per say.)

 

“Are you okay?” Blurry asks, and Josh nearly jumps out of his skin. Blurry has a hand out toward him to help him up and Josh is about to reel back when he remembers that Blurry just saved him, a civilian, and generally when you are saved by someone you don’t know you don’t act like they’re the fucking devil.

 

Even if they are the fucking devil

 

“You… y-youre-“ Josh stutters. He’s mentally punching himself for actually being nervous around this asshole, what the fuck, he’s never nervous around this loser why is he starting now? Blurry looks at him… fondly? Is that what that is? Fondness? From Blurry? His face is still obscured by a mask but somehow Josh is sure that that’s the expression he’s making. It’s making his head spin.

 

“My name’s Blurryface.” He says.

 

\---

 

“Blurryface” Josh repeats, less of a question and more clarification. He’s pretty shaken up, Tyler concludes.

 

Part of him is really glad he was around when those fuckers tried mugging Josh, another part of him is convinced Blurry might have had something to do with it. He feels at ease seeing Josh is relatively safe now. Blurry’s always had a soft spot for Josh. He considers for a moment that Blurry might have Josh-senses and smiles at the mental image of a tiny cartoon Josh tied to some train tracks and Blurry swooping in to divert the train before it’s too late. That’s just too cute. This situation that Josh was involved in, however, was not cute at all.

 

Tyler kneels next to Josh to help him sit up. Josh seems very hesitant to let him touch him but Tyler understands after the fight he’d been in. He lets Josh lean on him when he needs to and tells him to try and catch his breath.

 

He takes a look at the three unconscious bodies on the floor. If it had been up to him those idiots would be chopped up into teeny tiny little pieces, but he wasn’t going to let Josh see him kill anyone. Nope, Josh is too good for this world, like some kind of sweet cinnamon flavoured pastry.

 

He’s shaken out of his reverie when he feels Josh try to pull himself up onto his feet. Tyler’s up a second before he is and catches Josh when he stumbles. Josh almost falls back down when he yanks his arm back too hard. Tyler feels a little hurt before he reminds himself that Josh just spent ten minutes being assaulted by three armed strangers. He was going to have to have a little talk with their boss. He knows he saw gang tattoos on them. Tyler helps Josh lean against a wall and strides over to them. Josh is looking at him with fear in his eyes.

 

“I’m not gonna hurt them” he says, reassuringly. “Just checking for something” he adds, rifling through their pockets. He find knives, sachets of various drugs, some calling card for an informant underground that he knew personally (which he pockets because it wouldn’t be smart to let that be part of a crime scene) and Josh’s wallet. He throws it over to him and Josh catches it like it’s nothing. Tyler’s relieved to see his motor skills haven’t been impaired in any way.

 

Josh is still looking at him weird. Part of him (the Blurry part) is confused at the hostility. He knows he ought to be understanding, but it’s not like Josh to be so wary of anyone who’s not a threat to him. He once saw Josh make friends with a raccoon. Josh still cries at the end of Lilo and Stitch. Josh makes friends with everyone he meets. He doesn’t get it.

 

“So” Josh says, and Tyler snaps to attention almost immediately. “Thank you” Josh mumbles. It feels forced but Tyler can feel Blurry ringing in excitement anyway.

 

“No problem” Tyler smiles. Josh makes another weird expression. “Don’t wanna be short of funds any closer to rent day” he adds like an idiot.

 

Fuck, why did he say that?

 

Josh’s face goes from confused to absolutely mortified. Fuckfuckfuck, Tyler needs to start lying immediately.

 

“I uh-“ Josh starts.

 

“You don’t trust me. I get it. Why should you? I just beat up three guys, in a cat suit, and you’ve probably never heard of me either” this is going very badly. He wonders if Blurry has any ideas. “The thing is… I’m a- I just do this superhero thing for fun” Josh doesn’t look like he’s buying it, Tyler wouldn’t buy it either but he’s in too deep. “And uh, one of my powers is… I can read minds”

 

What the fuck Blurry?

 

“No you can’t” Josh says bluntly. Alarms are going off in Tyler’s head.

 

“I’ll prove it” Tyler says, because he’s an idiot who has to commit to the bit. “Your name is Josh Dun, you uh, you play drums and you’ve dyed your hair a lot, and um” Think Tyler think, what would Josh be thinking about right now? “Your best friend is the best thing since sliced bread!” Tyler exclaims, because he is obviously, unless Josh had some other _inferior_ best friend he didn’t know about.

 

Apparently he doesn’t though because Josh’s eyes go wide and he’s holding his hands up to his face and yelling “Okay! Okay I believe you just… don’t do that! Like if you can turn that off please do”

 

Tyler smiles, Josh is adorable.

 

“I can only get general ideas of things, don’t worry.” He tries to calm Josh down. “I can’t like guess your social security number or anything. Honestly my stun gun is probably more helpful when it comes to taking people down- I mean, like, saving people. Doing hero stuff, and like protecting the public. Cause, like that’s what I do”

 

Tyler needs to fucking stop.

 

“Thanks for the help then… Blurryface” Josh says, still looking extremely wary of him. “But I think I-I’m gonna head home and sleep off all this…” Josh gestures to himself and Tyler realizes he meant his injuries. He’s about to agree with him when Josh stumbles after his first step.

 

“Let me help you!” he says, trying to get Josh to lean on him. Josh pulls back almost immediately and Tyler has to reach over and grab him. Josh tries not to struggle. It’s really throwing Tyler in for a loop.

 

“Shouldn’t you be off… I don’t know, doing whatever it is… _heroes_ do?”

 

Something clicks in Tyler’s head. Josh hates vigilante heroes. Of course, it had been so obvious. He just took down three guys, rifled through their things and told Josh he could basically read his mind. He was never going to get Josh to let him help him like this. Josh needs Tyler-him not Blurry-him.

 

“I had this one thing with this one guy later but like… Whatever, I’ll do a rain-check he won’t mind” Tyler smiles, forgetting for like the fifteenth time that Josh isn’t going to see it behind his mask.

 

“A rain-check?” Josh deadpans. Something about this situation is weirdly familiar to him.

 

“I’ll leave, I know I’m making you uncomfortable, but I can’t just leave you here alone when you’re hurt” Tyler pulls out his phone. “Let me just call up your buddy Tyler, and he can take you home”

 

And there’s that mortified expression again. They were really gonna have to talk about that someday Josh is hurting Blurry’s feelings and those feelings are also Tyler’s feelings so he has to do something.

 

“Please don’t read my mind” Josh squeaks. It’s honestly ridiculously cute and Tyler feels bad for scaring him but, again, he’s already in way too deep.

 

“Too late” Tyler says, dialling his other line. “It’s really cute that you know your best friend’s number from memory though”

 

He wants to tell Josh that if he keeps making that face it’s gonna freeze like that but he doesn’t think that’s going to help Josh like Blurry any better.

 

\---

 

Josh is going to murder Blurryface, it’s going to happen, he’s going to do it.

 

“Josh?” Tyler asks, snapping his fingers in front of his face. “Josh, are you sure you don’t need me to take you to the hospital? You’ve barely touched your wings”

 

Josh looks down at the oversized plate of buffalo wings in front of him. His superhuman capabilities and healing factor didn’t come without a price. He had the metabolism of the fucking Flash. Tyler never questioned when he started eating three times as much when his powers first started manifesting; he’d simply insisted they go eat at places with bigger portions. Tyler’s always had his back like that, Tyler with his beautiful smile and beautiful face and beautiful heart, pure as the driven snow.

 

_And now that psycho maniac had his number._

 

Josh picks up a wing and starts eating. He desperately needs something to with his hands and he didn’t need Tyler taking him to the hospital to discover he had zero injuries despite being used as a human punching bag.  

 

His thoughts wander back to Blurry. The guy actually _saved_ him. He subdued three people without deadly force. _He was willing to put his safety on the line to protect a civilian._

 

Did he have him pegged wrong this whole time?

 

He reaches for another wing and when his hand can’t find one, another plate is brought over, he doesn’t think about it too much.

 

No, this was Blurry. This guy steals for fun. He’s one of the most notorious names in the criminal underground. He probably eats kittens for dinner… right?

 

He can hear a crowd chanting faintly in the back of his head. Was there a game on? He couldn’t really bring himself to care. He looks up again, Tyler is smiling at him.

 

_It’s really cute that you know your best friend’s number from memory though_

The idea makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand. All of the fear and terror he experienced at the hands of that asshole, Blurryface, comes flooding back in waves. This was the maniac that tied him upside down and broke both his legs for fun. This guy was standing over corpses when they first met, his hands still dripping in blood. This guy fucks with people because he’s literally got nothing better to do, and now because of his own carelessness, Josh risks hurting the person who literally means the entire world, and every tiny baby kitten in it, to him. If Blurryface ever found out who he was, he knows where to find Tyler AND THE GUY CAN _READ MINDS_

 

The cheering is getting louder. He’s probably eaten a truck-full of wings by now, he’s a stress eater he’s not proud of it. This was going to cost Tyler so much he hates himself but he’s not gonna stop.

 

_Whatever, I’ll do a rain-check he won’t mind_

WHAT THE FUCK DID THAT EVEN MEAN?

 

Never mind that that encounter was the most out of character display he’d have ever expected from _anyone,_ Blurry just straight up told him he was gonna do a raincheck on him. THIS GUY literally set a row of houses on fire when Josh was two minutes late to one of their “meetings” (pretty much, Blurry insists he be somewhere _or else_ ) and now he casually mentions that he’s just gonna bail??

 

Josh couldn’t even- that was honestly the last straw for him, he doesn’t even care if that asshole actually shows up, next time he sees him there’s gonna be hell to pay. He feels a lot like a vindictive boyfriend but he can’t even bring himself to care, he had better things to do and people worth caring about.

 

One person in particular, who had a voice like a zephyr, and whose light continues to outshine the sun

 

It takes him this long to realize the crowd that was cheering was gathered around them this whole time. “Uh” he says eloquently. Tyler has a grin on his face that gives Josh butterflies.

 

“You did it Josh you won!” Tyler tells him.

 

“Won what?” Josh looks around and stops at a waiter with a timer and everything starts clicking into place for him. He looks at the table and the empty plates stacked up and his hands covered in barbeque sauce and he feels gross but Tyler looks so fucking proud of him and it’s making him feel like a winner if anything ever could.

 

Someone hands him a plaque that looks way too official for some barbeque grill’s promotional contest and tells him to smile for the camera, but Josh smiles for the happiness simply radiating from the love of his life (his beautiful beautiful best friend.)

 

\---

 

Tyler hugs him as soon as they’ve left the restaurant. Not one of their usual hugs either, this was something more intimate, but no less platonic. The thought makes Josh’s heart hurt.

 

“Josh” Tyler starts, his voice shaking. “Josh when I got that call, I was so fucking worried.”

 

Josh is stunned. He wraps his arms around Tyler hesitantly.

 

“Don’t worry” Josh tells him, not entirely sure how to phrase it. “Don’t worry about me.”

 

It should be the other way around, he thinks.

 

“That guy on the phone” Tyler’s voice is barely a whisper “He said someone had a gun to your head Josh”

 

Josh buries his head in Tyler’s shoulder. It’s true that he’s never actually tried to recover from something as life threatening as a bullet to the head. He lets Tyler’s words sink in. There was a chance that he could’ve died right there in that alley, and whatever the turn of events Blurry had his life in his hands and chose to spare it.

 

They’d have a lot to talk about tomorrow.  

 

 


	2. Tilt-Shift Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh continues to be proven wrong about Blurryface

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part felt way too much like a continuation of the first one, so these next few ones will all be part of the same story. Hope you enjoy!

_“This is wrong” Josh says, entirely too quiet. “This is wrong!” He screams. The figure in the dark turns around_

_._

_._

_._

 

\---

 

Blurry had left a note in the glass case where the museum’s new ruby had previously been displayed. You know, since he stole it and all, along with several other extremely valuable exhibits.

 

“11:11/ THE USUAL SPOT/ DON’T BE LATE” the first note said, in what looked like typewriter print, but actually turned out to be handwriting upon closer inspection. What an asshole.

 

Of course, the terms of that arrangement couldn’t be met the day prior because Blurry had been busy saving him from being beaten half to death in some alley (something that Josh is still attributing to like aliens probably). He wasn’t entirely sure Blurry really wasn’t going to show up considering its Blurry and being an asshole is just part of his nature, but a new note appearing in the same glass case at exactly noon that day confirmed that Blurry actually had better things to do that day.

 

“00:00/ FIND ME” it seemed to materialize out of thin air, or at least that’s what the curators told him. Security footage five minutes prior to 12 o clock noon exactly reported nothing but static.

 

Josh crawled through the loose planks barring the entrance of a condemned building. Construction of this high rise started late 2009 and halted mid 2011, leaving a concrete skeleton of a structure in the heart of the city. Whatever the reason they stopped building; it had been scheduled for demolition as long as he could remember, and yet it stood strong.

 

Josh felt like he could relate in more ways than one.

 

He walked to the end of a familiar corridor to a ramp leading to the basement floors. It was almost midnight and without any electricity in the building at all, he was walking in total darkness.

 

He wasn’t afraid. His fingertips brushed the wall. The concrete was alive, pulsing under his feet, thrumming with energy. He could feel the wind passing through the empty frame of the structure all the way to the roar of engines on the main road. He didn’t even have to concentrate to sync with the beat of a city alive and calling out to him. He was strong here.

 

He got to the last floor with time to spare. Blurry only ever managed a shadow of a trace when he wanted to, and his unnecessary demand of “FIND ME” means Josh has to rifle through the area of an entire city at precisely midnight just to do that. He usually only does a quarter of that area in patrols, but it’s not like Blurry has ever had any semblance of respect for his wellbeing. Finding him would leave him disoriented for a good hour after, but he’s pretty sure that’s what Blurry’s counting on anyway.

 

Asshole

 

Josh is walking into a trap and he knows it, but at this point he doesn’t have a lot of other options.

 

\---

 

The exact events leading up to this particular moment in time are, well… a blur.

 

“So glad you could join me tonight, kitten”

 

A blurry fucking dick with way too much time on his hands.

 

“Is that pet name still up for debate? Because I think I actually prefer when you call me something that implies I’m some kind of orphaned baby animal” Josh drawls. “Literally, that is how bad that name is. You make me upset to be associated with a kitten, that is how terrible a person you are.”

 

Josh doesn’t know when or how he got to this spacious open-plan apartment. He could find out exactly where he is easily enough if he could use his powers, but that would require touching the actual ground, and not only is he about thirty stories up (judging from the gorgeous panoramic view of the city framed by floor to ceiling picture windows), he was also suspended from the ceiling in a very embarrassing net trap. Embarrassing for him, because he was caught in it, and embarrassing for Blurry because he actually thought it up. It’s a lose-lose situation either way.

 

“Careful stray” Blurry starts talking again, because he can’t tell when his opinion is unnecessary and unwanted. “Or you might find yourself losing sleep.”

 

“What is that even supposed to mean, oh my God” Josh groans, slumping back into the net to find a position that doesn’t make his neck scream. Blurry stalks around the net like a lion, eyeing his every move. Josh gives him the finger.

 

“I like you, stray” Blurry starts. Josh wants to cut him off with yet another scathing rejection, but something catches light out of the corner of his eye. He looks back to find Blurry threading the ruby around his fingers like a coin, pausing to hold it up to the light. “Interesting fact about rubies, they’re some of the hardest gemstones out there, rating only slightly below diamonds, and yet it’s near impossible to find gem quality rubies without imperfections.” Josh coughed, looked slightly apologetic and let Blurry continue his speech. “I’ve found that some of the most beautiful things can be strong despite their imperfections, a hundred, even a thousand years after they’ve been discovered.”

 

“Am I the ruby? Is that what you’re saying? We’ve talked about this Blurry, it’s not you it’s… well it is you but it’s also me, like, liking someone already, somebody who’s not… you know… evil” Josh doesn’t want to say murder-y but he leaves it in the air. Blurry looks about as un-amused as someone with a mask really can, Josh likes to take these little victories when they present themselves. “But look, you’re a great guy, your ass looks amazing in that cat-suit honestly. I’m pretty sure anyone else would be excited to have you needlessly pursue them for no real fucking reason. And you know what? After I throw you in prison everyone will know your name. I will find you love Blurryface I swear it.” Josh felt very proud of himself for throwing all that together. He didn’t even mind how ridiculous he probably looked building up enough momentum in his tiny net that he was spinning a bit.

 

Blurry was staring straight at him.

 

And promptly burst into a giggle-fit.

 

Josh was wondering whether he had broken him (or if he could blame this on aliens again) when Blurry straightens up.

 

“You think you know me that well, kitten?” Blurry says between giggles (actual, honest to God fucking giggles) “You think you have me figured out?”

 

Josh tries to stretch around in his net to stop it spinning. “Fuck off, Blurry” he begins, feeling like this was a long time coming. “We can stop pretending that you’re anything more complex than some asshole with way too much time and money on their hands, fucking around with the police and more importantly _me_ because you’re bored with life and have literally nothing better to do.” Josh says with almost too much fire.

 

“What I am” Blurry starts, his voice very briefly dropping a few octaves into something not quite human “is doubt. I am the primal fear in man’s heart, the apex predator. I will consume even that heart of yours.”  

 

_Like Snow White_ , Josh thinks to himself. “Snow White doesn’t have red hair” he finds himself saying. Blurry looks fucking done with him, Josh has never felt more accomplished in his life.

 

_Do you come up with all this stuff on the spot or do you hire a scriptwriter, no shame in admitting it, you know? It’s not like I have anyone to tell_. Oh, that’s good. Josh is just about to ask Blurry about it when he turns and finds their faces inches apart. He reels back suddenly swiping at the top of the net with a knife hidden in his boot. He fails spectacularly. Blurry is laughing at him. This is the worst day ever.

 

Suddenly the net gives way and he finds himself landing on the floor with a thud. Did Blurry just cut him loose? He doesn’t have to time to think about it when a gun is being aimed right at his face.

 

Yes, this feels more in character.

 

“This ruby, along with several others, was meant to be auctioned off for charity yes?” Blurry throws the gem in the air with his free hand and catches it again. “I know what you’re thinking, I’d have to be some heartless monster to steal from the poor and homeless youth.” Josh grits his teeth. “Well, why don’t we negotiate this ruby’s fate over dinner, kitten?” Blurry gestures toward a dining area slightly elevated from the living room on the other side. Curse Blurry and his tastefully decorated living space. He’s distracted from thoughts of how much natural light the apartment probably gets in the morning when he realizes Blurry’s still talking. “-or I suppose we could test the limits of your healing factor again, it’s not like we’re pressed for time.”

 

Fuck, he’s still not entirely sure he can survive that, and if he dies Tyler’s gonna kill him.

 

He gets up slowly and takes a seat at the head of the table, Blurry standing behind him with the gun obnoxiously pressed to the side of Josh’s head. The table is lit with enough candles that it’s probably a fire hazard. Dishes of various sizes are spread around the table, covered in silver cloches. He wouldn’t be surprised if he opened one and found a severed human head under it. The wine is probably blood. There’s bread on the table but it’s probably made with ground up human bones for flour or something… maybe some oregano.

 

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not intere-“

 

Blurry removes the cloche from the dish right in front of him.

 

It’s… bank statements?

 

\---

 

_The ground shakes. The ringing in his ears won’t stop. He can hear screaming. He’s can’t tell if it’s his own or everyone else’s._

_Maybe both_

_His heart feels like it’s pounding right out of his chest. He’s hyper aware of a million different things, the frantic footsteps, the rush of wind, the snap of reinforced concrete. He can feel all of it like a torrent of rain against his skin._

_“STOP” he screams._

_The shape of a man closes in on him in the darkness, unfazed. He wonders if he can help him._

_He wonders if anyone can help him._

 

\---

 

Fancy dish cover after fancy dish cover reveals evidence of a huge money laundering scheme by the museum. Josh is floored by the extent of it all. Some pretty huge names are involved. Josh spends hours at the table poring over every line, every folder, checking and double checking. Whichever way he looks at it, the proof is insurmountable.

 

Blurry’s sitting right on top of the table, legs crossed, facing him. Josh doesn’t even bother with it, in fact about an hour in he pretty much just asks for more bread. At some point, Blurry suggests putting on a movie to help keep him up but all he had at hand was an experimental documentary about the autopsy process. Josh wasn’t even surprised. Still, it would’ve been interesting to find out that Blurry was actually into stuff like, _How To Lose A Man In Ten Days_ or something. Blurry’s nice enough to let him pick what music to play on his beautiful and needlessly expensive sound system though. Mostly because he didn’t have any music there that he didn’t make himself, and despite Josh actually showing an interest in him (for once), Blurry made it crystal clear that that was off limits. The situation was weirdly… casual, you know, for an investigation into a huge embezzlement scandal.

 

Cashmere Cat has been blaring loud enough that some neighbors really ought to have complained by now, when the he sees the sun peeking over the city skyline.

 

“Why?” Josh says finally, setting down one of the last few folders.

 

“To show you who you fight for” Blurry says simply. Josh isn’t convinced.

 

“All this… work, all of this” Josh gestures to the table. “All of this research. There’s no way you did all this just to fuck with me.”

 

“You’re not as big of a catch as you think you are, kitten” Blurry says mockingly, but Josh swears it feels different this time.

 

“I’m finding that harder and harder to believe” Josh says seriously. Something about Blurry continues to feel off.

 

“Like you said, I’m just an asshole who fucks with you because he’s literally got nothing better to do.” Blurry presses, he looks unamused at the direction this conversation is heading. “Don’t read into it too much, mutt.” Josh shoves the chair away and hops up to the table before Blurry can tell what’s happening, pinning him down while he’s distracted, straddling him and holding both his shoulders down with his hands on top of all the paper. Blurry doesn’t even have the decency to look impressed. “Oh no, whatever shall I do? You’ve caught me” he delivers in perfect monotone. Josh doesn’t care, he looks for something he swears Blurry left on the table about half an hour ago.

 

“Where is it?” Josh asks. Blurry’s strangely silent for a good while before flinging the ruby halfway toward the direction of the door, and Josh gets off of him to get it. Blurry sits up on the table.

 

“So this is what you are?” Blurry says quietly. “A dog, blindly serving men who-“ He’s cut off by Josh coming back to the table and gathering as much paper as he can carry.

 

“Move a bit” Josh tells him, reaching for a folder he’s pretty much sitting on.

 

“What are you doing?” Blurry asks, sounding genuinely confused for the first time Josh can remember since he’s met him.

 

“Where are the rest?” Josh presses. “The rest of the jewels you took, I need them.”

 

“You can’t seriously think you can leave this to the law, can you? Are you dense? These people have the law wrapped around their finger”

 

Josh doesn’t listen. He pockets the ruby and goes after some of the more incriminating folders. Blurry actually looks furious. “Thank you” Josh mumbles when he realizes he’s not getting anything else out of this conversation. Apparently he’s wrong.

 

“You… whose side are you even on?” Blurry says, visibly unsettled.

 

“Mine” Josh tells him.

 

“Really? Because it looks and sounds an awful lot like you’re just trying to get yourself killed over a fight you can’t hope to win.”

 

“Maybe… but I can’t just do nothing when I’ve made the decision to help.” Josh smiles, turning to leave.

 

“You don’t have to” Blurry calls out after him. “There are ways to handle this that won’t put a fucking target on your back, you idiot! Use your fucking head, the people who have tried to confront this are dead, it’s all here in black and white!” Blurry yells at him. “Why can’t you just despair in abject loneliness like you’re supposed to! Why won’t you just lose hope and disappear…” Something about this situation feels oddly familiar to Josh, but he doesn’t think about it too much.

 

“I’ll see you around, Blurryface”

 

“Leave them with me.” Blurry tries, one more time. “I can find a buyer. They won’t make as much as they would at a charity auction, but I can make sure the money makes it into the right hands. That should be enough for you right?”

 

“But is it enough for you?” Josh asks. The air around them feels lighter. Josh feels a smile tugging at his lips. “What was all this really?” Josh says, taking slow deliberate steps to where Blurry is standing. “You could’ve done whatever you wanted with all this, and you brought me here anyway.” They’re standing face to face. A little part of Josh feels nervous. “To break my spirit? Well, you haven’t. You’re _you_ , you should’ve accounted for that. Let me meet you halfway.”

 

“You’re reading too much into this” Blurry tells him, his voice barely shaking. Josh is starting to think it’s a good look on him.

 

Josh balances the papers on one arm and reaches a hand over Blurry’s mask. Blurry makes no move to stop him lifting the mask just halfway over his face and pressing their lips together.

 

It’s chaste, and warm.

 

Josh leans back and pats Blurry on the shoulder way too casually for someone who just kissed him.

 

“Well don’t read too much into _that_ , I’m still putting you in fucking jail dude” Josh says, feeling like an asshole. “Just… not today, I guess”

 

Josh rebalances the papers and heads straight for the door. Blurry throws something at Josh that he barely catches with both hands full. It’s the rest of the jewels.

 

\---

Tyler’s sitting at his usual booth by the window, reading an article online. The museum board and several high ranking government officials were under investigation. He’s going to miss some of them, he’d had very close business with several of them in the past one way or another, but he can’t help the smile breaking across his face.  

 

He finds himself absently trailing a finger over his lips. Just who did that dog think he was anyway? Ripping him to pieces and putting him back together…

 

Blurry always had good taste in men, he decides. This one wouldn’t break as easily as the rest.

 

“Tyler!” he hears Josh call out, and promptly throws the rest of his bagel at his face. Josh catches it and looks at Tyler hesitantly before slowly putting it back on the table.

 

“You’re late” Tyler tells him.

 

“I was… I am. I’m sorry.” Josh says sheepishly.

 

“A week late” Tyler adds. Josh’s face falls. He looks like one of those dog-shaming posts, Tyler’s tempted to make him wear a sign saying ‘I DISAPPEARED FOR A WEEK AND DIDN’T BOTHER EVEN GIVING MY BEST FRIEND A CALL.’ Josh looks upset enough for the both of them though. Tyler realizes he can never stay mad at him.

 

He pats the spot next to him on the booth and Josh beams, sliding next to him with all the enthusiasm in the world. Tyler missed him, he had to admit. Blurry hadn’t felt like taking the reins all week, and he knows Josh works overtime a lot at his job at the record store so they can’t really hang out but he pretty much got nothing but radio silence from him, and that’s just so unlike Josh.

 

“I uh… I’ve been helping out a friend with some legal trouble.” Josh says very quietly, like he’s still afraid Tyler’s mad at him.

 

Tyler’s not mad at him though, he’s just personally very offended.

 

“Wow, so you find yourself a new best friend and suddenly you can’t even give the time of day.” Tyler says, feigning hurt. Josh looks absolutely mortified.

 

“N-no I would never-“

 

“Save me your lies Joshua Dun!” Tyler exclaims with flair. “I see how it is, why are you even here? Why don’t you just run back to the arms of your new best friend and go to Disneyland with them, and be their best man and have them name their kids after you!” Tyler looks out the window with his hand over his heart. When he looks back Josh is on the verge of tears. Shit, fuck, why was he born for the stage. “Bro, brother, brahddy… I was just kidding” He pats Josh’s back apologetically.

 

“No, it’s not that, it’s just… do you really feel that strongly about our friendship?” Josh starts.

 

“Of course Josh!” Tyler says immediately. “I would write a whole album of break-up songs about you if you ever decided to stop being my best friend” Tyler says, unsure as to why this is comforting Josh, but hey if it helps it helps. He’s pretty sure he’d take a bullet for Josh, hell, he’d give him the gun, but that’s beside the point. “Wait- fuck- what? Legal problems? Do you need me to hire you a lawyer?”

 

“No, nothing like that. I’ve got this, trust me” Josh says.

 

He loves everything about Josh, but sometimes he wishes he could help him more. If he could, he would summon any number of connections to instantly make all of Josh’s problems disappear forever and give him a new house in an island made of gold probably but he knows Josh won’t accept any help from him that wasn’t acceptable in the eyes of the law or whatever.

 

“Well, let me know if you change your mind. I’ll get my legal team ready just in case.”

 

“You’re the best” Josh tells him with all the stars in his eyes. Tyler thinks about how lucky he is to have someone like Josh in his life.

 

“Damn right I am” Tyler says, because he is. Josh beams at him.

 

“So how has your week been, best person?”

 

“Running a company is so hard Josh, put me out of my misery” Tyler whines. Josh pulls him in in for a one armed hug and pats his chest. Tyler tries to hug back as best as he can from where they’re sitting next to each other.

 

Part of him wants to tell Josh exactly what had been happening to him, the things that were really keeping him up at night, but he doesn’t know if it’s fair to put all that responsibility on his shoulders just yet.

 

Another part of him is already sure that Josh could see the mess he’s in and still accept him for all of it. That’s the part that convinces him to keep his mouth shut.  

 


End file.
